This is the story of Eldin, an undead assassin, and his adventures in the kingdom of Alarya. It is a political intrigue/war for control of the kingdom story with a side of romance, told as a multi-POV story. The action follows Zinnia, Rowan, and Onyx, as well as Eldin in turn. All four are on a collision course, but it takes a bit of an investment to see how they are all related to the overall story, especially Onyx.
I enjoyed this story and really liked the character of Eldin. I’m not one for romance, generally, but I enjoyed following his relationship with Zinnia as well as learning about Rowan’s unrequited love for the assassin. This sets up an interesting and all too real love triangle. I also enjoyed Onyx’ story, although it took a long time for me to see how she fit into the narrative at all. Onyx and Eldin were my favorite characters.
That being said, there were minor editing issues—things that a spellchecker wouldn’t pick up, such as using peak for peek—in places. I feel that it could have done with one more close read-through. Having fought against deadlines myself, I understand how it goes, and this is a minor quibble that distracted my teacher brain but did not ruin my enjoyment of the story. Finally, I really wanted to sit longer with each of the characters and get to know them more thoroughly. I feel that if I had been able to do so, I would have been more emotionally invested in the tale.
In the end, this book is an enjoyable romp with dragons, assassins, and a cool shadow-based magic system. The series promises further interesting adventures as we follow Eldin and I will be looking forward to the next one in the series.
